Effective Therapies for Gait Assessment

Age-related gait changes are a common barrier to independence and quality of life, both in community-dwellers and institutionalized elderly individuals. But how can the therapist distinguish between "normal" age-related changes and correctible anomalies that are associated with a degenerative condition or suboptimal surgical recovery? Physical therapists have a number of assessment tools at their disposal, allowing knowledgeable professionals to identify problematic gait patterns and design effective rehabilitation strategies to minimize their impact.

Course objectives:

1. Identify problematic gait patterns in the elderly population.

2. Diagnose gait dysfunction people with Parkinsonism, stroke, post-arthroplasty and other common conditions in seniors.

3. Learn the latest rehabilitation techniques for correcting gait anomalies and maximizing independence and quality of life.

4. Understand the relationship between strength and gait, as measured by stride length and walking speed.

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